This Holiday Season, Pay Attention to What Matters Most

The excitement of the holidays is here which often leaves us feeling as if we have more on our ‘to do’ list than there are hours in the day!

A common area of stress for many is finding the time to get ready for holidays while actually enjoying the celebration the holiday season brings. In order to spend your time, energy and attention enjoying your holiday season, get pay attention now and worry less later.

Get Time Wise:

Cancel unnecessary meetings or appointments that can wait until after the New Year.

Set out of office messages on your email and change your voicemail to properly set expectations for when calls will be returned.

Schedule virtual champagne or wine date on Skype instead of face-to-face meetings– no travel time!

Say NO to events you don’t desperately want to attend.

Schedule team functions and thank you events during regular business hours.

Combine holiday events and host one party or cocktail event with a diverse range of people …voila – more fun, more people, less time!

 

Proactively Prepare:

Make a holiday ‘to do’ list – include activities you want to complete at home, those you want to outsource and your shopping ‘to do’ list. Sit down for 15 minutes, do a brain dump – I promise you will feel lighter!

Clean  – yep that’s right! If you have to do it yourself, and you want just do a quick tidy up around the house set your alarm and do as much as you can in 15 minutes! That is it! No more, no less – just 15 minutes. You will be astounded what you can achieve!

Change linens – it is great at night to snuggle up into flannel sheet sets. Allocate time to change over all the linens in each room. Do it all on the same day so it makes it easier to remember when they all need to be changed again.

Arrange your guest room -clean, tidy, dust and make some closet space for your guests. This is a great time of year for unexpected visitors so make sure your guest room is ready for anyone that might drop in for a visit or stay over after a meal.

Set up candles – candle light is so much more forgiving than bright lights. Use the dimmer switches or light candles, no one will know if you house is clean or not!

Decorate – choose a room, choose a color theme and choose the things that will make the most impact. Now go! You could spend 15 minutes on each room if you want. If you don’t get it all done, make another appointment with yourself to complete it.

Research recipe books – pull out all the relevant recipe books that you want to use and mark the recipes you will be making. Sit down in one place, in one sitting and make a list of every ingredient you are going to need for your special meal. This will prevent multiple trips to the store (or multiple orders online).

Order fresh flowers – these add a special touch to your home during this busy time; they create beauty and will be appreciated by those around you. You can have special holiday arrangements delivered by many companies, I like www.1800flowers.com – it is nice to receive flowers (even if you do have to order them yourself)!

Spend 15 minutes searching for serving platters – search your pantry, your cupboards and your basement for all those large platters you like to use during the holidays. Decide which food will be displayed on which platter. I always place them all on the counter top the day of the event so I know which platters are going to be used.

 

Learn to Outsource:

Hire a cleaning service – I love Harmony Clean because they use natural products and they are fabulous in Bucks County. Take 15 minutes to seek out your local service and schedule a clean; it is worth every cent I promise you!  Book a special onetime clean – if you know you have company coming, a party or a gathering of people; consider hiring the experts to clean your home from top to bottom. This will also make it easier for you to maintain during the holidays.  

Shop online – instead of spending time in stores, determine how many gifts and items you can buy online (from the comfort of your own home). You might also end up spending less money as you won’t be distracted by the other items in store.

Dry Cleaners – outsource your linens; take your table cloths, matching serviettes and any other linens you might need for your holidays, to your local dry cleaner and ask them to press them, this will save you time.

Spend 15 minutes chatting to party hire – a senior executive, one of my clients, says she simply phones the party hire store and tells them how many people she has coming for a meal and they deliver the cutlery, crockery, linens, candles and extra seats and tables she requires. She rinses off the crockery and they come and pick it all up – no cleaning, no fuss. Can you reach out to your local party hire store and see if they provide this service?

Order groceries online – order from your favourite supermarket and have them delivered to your home. For a small tip to the delivery person, you will save so much time and it also means you won’t have to carry them indoors during the cold weather.

Order your main ingredients – if you like to have a ham or turkey on the holiday table, now is the time to place your order for those items and any special order pies you might want. Search out your local farmers market or local produce store.

Sweet talk some help – during this busy season there are many services that can help you feel less stressed and give you more time. Consider online shopping services, personal chefs, and dry cleaners, cleaning services, flower delivery and local school children. You might be able to recruit local neighbourhood kids to help you with the many chores you need to get done. I pay my neighbors to help me achieve my ‘to do’ list.

For more strategies to help you stay focused on the joy the season brings, and rid yourself of unnecessary stress and distractions, watch this:

This video will show you how to:

– Save time this holiday season
– Focus on friends and family this holiday
– Avoid holiday season stress

 

The holiday season is for focusing on friends and family, it is not meant to be a stressful, busy time. This year, decide to stop trying to do it all and instead, pay attention to what matters most. We’d love to hear your strategies for how you remain focused throughout the holidays. Share in the comments below.

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Be Kind and Pay Attention to those in Support Roles

Any thoughtful leader knows the professionals in support roles are the backbone to a successful organization. Early in my corporate career I learned THE most important roles in any company include the Executive Assistants, Security Guard, IT team, and the catering and cleaning team. I made it a point to learn their names, their coffee orders and something special about each of them.

 

Professionals in support roles are truly some of the most important, most informed and most powerful people in your company. They have access to decision makers, understand company culture and the idiosyncrasies of leaders and they can help you in if you get caught in a jam.

 

Anytime I visit the gorgeous corporate offices of one of my clients at the Comcast Center in Philadelphia it’s not uncommon for the reception team to come around from behind the desk to give me a hug or when I am on the executive floor, for the team from catering to come into a meeting or a session I am hosting, and I stop to give them a cuddle and hear about their kids.

 

It’s vital to make sure that everyone in your company feels seen and heard, especially those in important support roles.

 

The receptionist knows everyone’s schedule and they are the first point of contact for your company. My little sister has this role in a major firm in Australia and we often chat about how important it is to be kind to them. Grab them a coffee occasionally; ask them about their weekend, they are your client’s first impression of your business. Pay attention to how much they do for your company brand and the atmosphere in your office.

 

The executive assistant or your leader’s assistant not only manages their calendar, they know how the leader is feeling, what they like and don’t like and also what your peers are working on. Their role is also to be a gatekeeper – respect their role and don’t try to go around them. Befriend them, seek their advice and always be organized in your conversations and requests of them. Pay attention to their systems to best work with them (not against them)

 

The security guards know the coming and goings of all the team, and over my career they were the only ones there when I arrived and often when I needed to get to my car late at night. Over the years I have learned so many fascinating things about their careers, how they have served in different roles and why they have chosen this career to support their families. Always smile, be kind and make a point of acknowledging the important work they do for you and your team. Pay attention to them when you enter and leave the building.

 

The IT department members are vital. Ever had your email or server go down… yep, you don’t know what to do with yourself! They are talented, often under appreciated and they work long hours. Respect their systems, be kind when you make requests, spontaneously do something generous for them, buy them lunch or bring in treats for their coffee and never be angry or impatient with them. It’s not their fault your devices don’t work; don’t take it out on them. Pay attention to your tone with IT.

 

The catering and cleaning team often go unnoticed and they are deliberately discreet on a daily basis. Stop what you are doing if the cleaning staff enter your office, take a moment to look up, thank them and get to know them a little. You don’t need to have long conversations, just a moment of gratitude. I meet the most ah-mazing people in my travels and recently while speaking in North Carolina I met Rose, a beautiful woman who was cleaning the bathrooms in the hotel and she had been married over 50 years and was working to help one of her children with medical expenses. She was such a delight with a gorgeous smile, I always learn their names.  These team members work hard to create a productive environment for you and to prepare food you will enjoy. Pay attention to how they make your life so much easier and more pleasant and remind them when you can of how much you appreciate that.

 

When you pay attention to the little details you enjoy big rewards. Who are the most important people in your company? Invest 15 minutes today to surprise and delight those in support roles that you work with and let them know you appreciate them, that you see them and you value them.

 

 

 

 

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Pay ATTENTION to ABUNDANCE

An Inside Scoop on the Power of Productive People

Abundance.  It’s the concept of more, of enough, and even more than enough and it translates to every aspect of our lives. Business. Relationships. Friendships. Time. Love. Money. Success.  It’s counterpart?  Is scarcity. Which is the feeling or fear that there is not enough, may never be enough to go around.

Both are mindsets that can move people to make choices about the directions in which they move their lives. What I want to share with you here is that you truly do have the ability to control the flow of what you want in your life by absolutely paying ATTENTION and focusing on one or the other.

 

If you want to move into a more powerful, more productive, abundant life, you have make knowledge-seeking your best friend and kick that scarcity mindset right to the curb and leave it there.

 

Chris Anderson is the editor-in-chief of the UK Wired Magazine and also the author of the great book book Free. Chris challenges readers to embrace a gift economy and shares that ‘today’s knowledge workers are yesterday’s factory workers’.  Interesting right? The truth is that knowledge IS in abundance. We live in a world where we can learn, literally, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week if we want – and we can even do it for free!  Hello Google! We have access to greatness, to inspired words, serious strategies, the success plans of like-minded business people, and the motivation of some of the best minds in the world right there at our fingertips.

 

Rory Vaden shares in his book Take the Stairs, ‘the most important skill for the next generation of knowledge worker is not learning what to do BUT rather determining what NOT to do’.

 

Let that sink in a little. While yes, information and knowledge is in abundance, it’s up to us to make conscious choices about how to share it, what to take in and what to abandon. We’re on the topic of productivity—right?  So when you’re eager to ramp up your productivity – one of the most important decisions you can make is determining what NOT to pursue, rather than to continue to be that person with the 4,000 balls in the air.  What things are absolutely right to put on your plate because they are critical to the direction you want your life to be in and what do you need to lay down, delegate or pitch?  Because abundance doesn’t mean necessarily having it ALL, it’s about having all the right things for YOU and the life you want to lead.

 

Chris Anderson in Free continues to share ‘abundance thinking is not only discovering what will become cheaper but looking for that will be more valuable as a result of moving to that’.  Time has become more valuable! We need an abundance mentality of how we can invest our time more wisely, with people we enjoy more, doing things we enjoy more if we want to filter our daily decisions to choose the most impactful activities.

 

If you’re ready to draw more abundance into your world and leave the negativity at the door — try these strategies:

 

Decline invitations that don’t excite you.  That time is valuable thing? Super important.  So why would you waste precious hours somewhere you have zero interest or excitement about? Will there be some times you simply can’t decline? Sure, but for the most part, honor yourself, your time, your journey and only accept those invitations you really want and are delighted to attend. The others?  Graciously decline their invitation. Save your time for things you are energized by.

 

Fully commit. if you are working on a project, go all in.  In a conversation? Be fully present and attentive.  Relaxing with a book? Immerse yourself in the pleasure of it (without guilt)!  Dinner with a friend or loved one?  Set the distractions aside and give them the gift of your time.  Whatever it is, you will glean so much more from EVERY situation when you fully commit to it with all you have.

 

Be generous. Generosity is like jet-fuel for abundance. It stokes the fire for more great things in your life like almost nothing else can.  When you generously share your time, money, energy, gifts, knowledge, wisdom, experience – all of it – you will attract all of those things right back into your life.  It’s good for your heart, your mind and your spirit, I promise you. Out for a meal? Pick up the tab. Going through a toll gate?  Pay for the fellow behind you.  Stopping at Starbucks?  Surprise the next guest in line. Drop donuts off at a fire station. Bring unexpected flowers to a loved one. Drop a few random “thank you for being you” cards in the mail this week.  Little things really do go a very long way, and generosity often feels even more rewarding for us than it does for our recipients.

 

So, start today. Fuel your abundant thinking by paying attention to all the ways you share your time, attention and energy with those around you.  What can you to do today so abundance wins and you increase your daily impact? Share your ideas with us here on our blog.

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Focus on Positive, Productive Employee Engagement

 

When you’re in a position of influence or authority, there are ways to help your organization increase employee engagement and overall productivity.  Each day we choose to be boring or engaging, productive or complacent. When we attend meetings, create presentations and host conversations, we can either demonstrate enthusiasm for our work and quality, or continue to deliver the status quo.

 

When you are mindful and choose to be engaging, people will pay attention and respond accordingly.  Voila – it’s that simple. Here are ten strategies to help you create positive employee engagement:

1. Be Authentic – The world wants you to be real, be human and be more of yourself. Stop trying to ‘fake it until you make it’ – show up as yourself and stop trying to be like everyone else.  As a famous philosopher Dr. Seuss says ‘why fit in when you were born to stand out.’

2. Be Interesting – Share stories from your sincere observations, life and world events. Provide examples that are current and relevant to your audience’s everyday life.

3. Be Enthusiastic – The energy you bring to every meeting and presentation is contagious. Your audience will rise up to meet you. Use people’s names, look them in the eye and share your passion of the topic or project with those in the room.

4. Be Contextual – Your audience wants to know why it matters. Share the strategic perspective first. Use metaphors and analogies when you present; they get audience attention and are memorable and repeatable. Simplify the complex with metaphors.

5. Be Fun – Don’t tell jokes to start a speech or a meeting (your audience may not know you yet). Allow people to have fun with you; self-deprecating humor is the safest and best humor to use in any situation.

6. Be Memorable – Pay attention to how the world sees you. Choose your words, your stories and examples.  Speak in triads – people remember things in threes i.e. nature, religion, phrases, advertising slogans – often we see things in threes i.e. faith, hope and love.

7. Be Involved – Use eye contact, encourage audiences and conference attendees to take notes, encourage your audience to be part of the learning process and conversations.

8. Be Brief – Don’t use 20 words if 10 will work, minimize your hideously ugly over-cluttered slide deck, make your point then move on people – it’s that simple.

9. Be Generous – Provide handouts in advance, allow audiences to connect with you before your presentation, participate in conversations in advance on social media forums i.e. Facebook, Tweet Chats, Google+ hangouts and webinars.

10. Be Inquisitive – Ask questions of your audience and encourage them to ask questions. Make every presentation a conversation, instead of a presentation. People want to contribute and share their brilliance too.

Which of these techniques can you apply today? Which technique would your employees respond well to? We’d love to hear your thoughts what did you think, share your ideas with us here on our blog.

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5 Ways to Become a Chief EXECUTION Officer

We are in an exciting time of disruptive change. Now more than ever before, human resource professionals lead the way with a need for exceptional service within organizations and fulfilling important roles that benefit everyone. As HR leaders, we know we don’t have time to do everything, we only time to do what matters.

What matters most to your organization? What matters to your employees?

To continue offering exceptional support to our business, serving our organization and focusing on strategy, we need a constant mindset of execution.  It’s easy to be busy; busy is not productive. We can no longer abide by the rules of time management. The old way of managing time doesn’t work. We must begin paying attention to what matters most.

In order to best serve our thriving and changing organizations, we need to be the CEO:                     Chief EXECUTION Officer.

Productivity requires implementation and execution.

The word execute means to ‘carry out or to perform’ and it derives from Latin exsequi, “carry out, follow up; punish.”  As HR professionals, we need build teams with strong reputations for execution, follow up and productivity.

Here are 5 strategies to accelerate productivity and build a reputation as the leader who executes:

15-minute rule:

Change the way you view time. Instead of thinking in 30 and 60-minute increments, reduce the time to 15 minutes.

Consider focusing on completing actions in 15 minutes: i.e. respond to emails, host a 1:1 with one of your leaders, complete a business calls, or reach out into your organization about potential partnerships.

People feel they don’t have an hour anymore; the key is to take action in 15-minute increments.  Can you encourage your team to begin approaching projects, meetings and completion in 15-minutes?  Encourage all meetings to be conducted in 15-minute increments. Suggest supervisors invest 15 minutes each week in additional training for the team to explore professional development opportunities.

What can you achieve in 15 minutes that will get you closer to the achievement of your organizational goals?

It’s the art of compressing time. Consider if you have 2 weeks to make a decision, how long does it take you? 2 weeks right.  If you have 2 minutes to make a decision, it takes you 2 minutes… can we compress activities into 15-minute increments?

 

Cancel meetings:

Yes you read this right! If you are holding meetings because you have the same meeting week after week, consider changing routine! Unless you have a strong agenda and a reason to invest everyone’s time, cancel the meeting. If you can’t cancel, consider reducing the meeting time by half. Complete an experiment, for your next meeting halve the time and encourage the team to stick to the agenda closely.  Meetings are an important part of every organization however invest time this month to determine if all the meeting you are hosting are operating effectively, is an agenda being followed, are actions being agreed and implemented as a result of the meetings. Are we moving the organization forward?

 

Pay attention: 

One of the greatest gifts you can give your team is your undivided attention. As busy HR professionals, it is easy to frustrate the team if you are constantly distracted by meetings, email and not focused on conversations. Distraction is perceived as disrespectful. Investing your attention, looking employees, colleagues, leaders and peers in the eye when you communicate will achieve more. Put down your smartphone and encourage your team to do the same.

 

Choose three strategies: 

Focus your attention on your top three deliverables.  Your to-do list is always growing and your email keeps coming. If we just focused on activities we wouldn’t be productive, we’d just be busy. True leaders know they need to prioritize on the highest impact objectives. Three is the magic number and allows people to retain focus.  Make sure your strategies are repeatable (others can share them throughout the organization), relatable (others understand how it affects them) and recognizable (others can see the impact of those strategies). As a leader your role is to focus on strategies you can execute!

 

Disconnect: 

Take regular breaks from technology, remove yourself from your email and the minutia that is draining your focus and energy. As the leader invest in the contextual deliverables, the big picture, the strategy – that’s it! Leave the details to those around you to execute.  Clarity and vision are often created when you step away from the everyday operations and allow yourself to brainstorm how we can do things differently; how we can continually disrupt the way we have always done things.

As human resources professionals, we must drive our organizations by focusing on the things that truly matter, that truly require execution. What can you do with your team this week to move the business forward?

To increase the productivity of your team, lead by example, and allow others to step into their brilliance by empowering them to execute the details of the strategies you create. Now that’s productive!

If you plan to attend #SHRMVLS this November, I’d like to know your biggest productivity challenge.

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How to pay attention at SHRMVLS

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How to pay attention at SHRMVLS

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How to Get Focused After a Long Meeting (Guest Blog: by Cameron Conaway)

A long meeting well executed can be tremendously useful, but it can also drain your focus reserves. Here’s how to reclaim your focus and finish the day strong.

We’ve all felt our focus slip during a meeting. It happens for a variety of reasons, ranging from our feeling that the meeting is a waste of time to simply not getting enough sleep the night before.

It could even be because the long meeting interrupted a period of our own focused work, and we found it too difficult to detach from the project we were working on so we could be fully present. A pivotal study from 1989 even found that:

40% of corporate VPs admitted to falling asleep or dozing off during a meeting (tweet this)

Regardless of how successful the meeting was (or where our mind drifted off to during it), the moment immediately after a long meeting is nearly always a struggle. Post-meeting work typically goes down in a few of the following ways:

-You try to reclaim the focus you had before the meeting, but it’s difficult to get back to where you were.

-You’re on the maker’s schedule, in the Paul Graham sense, and the meeting disrupted your work day and perhaps even lowered your ambitions for getting focused to tackle an important project.

-You’re an introvert and, while meetings can be invigorating for extroverts, they are especially exhausting for you.

-The long meeting actually ended on an actionable item, and you first need to compile minutes, capture the agreed-upon solution, or otherwise focus on some sort of post-meeting work.

-You pat yourself on the back for participating, and rationalize why you should take an extra-long lunch break or cut your day short.

To be clear, there are countless other reasons. But while there’s a veritable movement rallying around how meetings sap productivity—and seemingly infinite list articles about how to make meetings more productive—there’s strikingly little out there about how to get focused and stay focused after a meeting.

So what does getting focused after a meeting look like?

For starters, it means not coming back to your desk having to make a bunch of micro-decisions before you can go deep. Ideally, you’ll come right back to your desk and know exactly what you need to work on.

To immediately dial-in like this you’ll need to pre-prioritize which tasks first need your attention, what can be completed in the time allotted, and what might be better off pushing to the next day.

Here are 3 ways, based on some of our own challenges over the years, to reclaim focus after a long meeting:

1. Have a pre-meeting meeting with yourself and/or your team (I know how counterintuitive that seems, but stay with me).

The most frequent meeting time is 11am, and the average meeting length is 31-60 minutes. Look what happens to the average team’s Flow activity throughout the day. Productivity takes a big dip, particularly with Tasks Completed and app opens:

Lunch is certainly to blame, but it’s worth expanding that blame a bit. If the average meeting is at 11am, that means it’s typically followed by lunch, and that means your focus was disrupted for a long period of time right in the middle of the day.

And you aren’t able to get it back to where you had it in the morning.

A major challenge in returning to work after a meeting is that you aren’t sure what to work on. Do you go back into focus mode or do you try to complete some small tasks so you can set yourself up to get focused later on?

A pre-meeting meeting can help you establish this. Take a few minutes before the meeting to jot down—either in an app or on a Post-It note—precisely what you’ll work on after the meeting. These few minutes of thought will help you organize which tasks are most important, and this means you’ll be better equipped to navigate that difficult post-meeting transition.

2. Channel the rest of your day’s focus by tapping into what science tells us about team size and productivity.

Notice how as teams get larger than 5 or 6 people, the sheer number of tasks the team completes doesn’t grow?

Research shows diminishing returns of working in a team larger than 5 or 6. Smaller teams typically mean greater focus and less chance for distraction. In short, going from a meeting directly into focused work as part of small team can be a great way to reclaim post-meeting focus.

If you’re working on a collaborative team project after a meeting, find a way to break a larger team into groups of 5-6 people (or smaller), and designate which part of the project each team should focus on. This decision to break your team up could help each member stay focused on the task at hand.

3. Be the change by making your post-meeting focus a habit.

In Edgar Schein’s book, Organizational Culture and Leadership, he writes:

…if a basic assumption comes to be strongly held in a group, members will find behavior based on any other premise inconceivable.”

In other words, focus needs to become such a part of your team’s culture that the premise of not-focusing is inconceivable.

Elements of a team’s culture (good, bad, or otherwise) are difficult to break when they’ve been exhibited so many times that they reach what Schein refers to as a “basic assumption.”

How to make that happen? Be the change. The best way you can let the important ripple of focus spread throughout your company is to exhibit it. Don’t just say how important it is to you, show it. And show it on a regular basis.

Here’s how. Before your next meeting, and in addition to #1 above, figure out which colleagues outside of your immediate team would benefit from knowing your post-meeting plans. Pull them aside, briefly, and let them know what you plan to work on immediately after the meeting.

Even something like:

Hey Jenn, just a heads up that I’m going into focus mode for a few hours after our meeting today. I really want to wrap up the Q1 marketing report by end-of-day. I’ll be available around 3 if you need me.”

This will give your colleague the heads up and you the pocket of uninterrupted work time you need.

This small act can go a long way to making focus part of your team’s culture.

Focusing as an individual outside of work is one thing, but getting focused when you’re part of a team in the workplace can be quite another. Once you’ve made getting focused at work a personal commitment, the next step is communicating this commitment with your team.

Need a way to kickstart that conversation? Sharing this article could do the trick.

 

The original blog post hosted on www.getflow.com can be found by clicking here. Cameron Conaway’s piece was a great fit for this audience and I wanted to share!

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How to Have More Impact and Influence with Attention

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Attention is EVERYTHING!

We are all bogged down with distractions that leave us feeling overtired, overworked and overstressed. In today’s world, where technology rules the day, how can we avoid distractions and pay attention to what matters most? How can we leverage our attention to gain more impact and influence everyday?

 

 

 

This video provides ways to improve your ability to impact and influence with attention by:
– How to avoid distractions and pay attention to who is in front of you,
– How to embrace moments that matter and live in the here and now
– How to focus on what’s in front of you to create stronger relationships.

 

If you’re a leader trying to increase the impact and influence you have over your team, read these three strategies to to prioritize employees and make them what matters most.

Perhaps you are trying to communicate and connect with others in a more meaningful, impactful way but struggle to do so without involving technology. Consider these ideas that will communicate your message, increase your connection and improve your relationships.

 

What distractions will you commit to turning off? Who will you give your undivided attention to today?

 

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How to Have More Impact and Influence with Attention

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SHRM

Thank you for all the AH-Mazing ATTENTION!

I absolutely love working with SHRM leaders to bring out the best of what’s possible in their teams. Things like empowered creativity. Crazy-amazing connectivity. Next-level collaboration. Through the roof productivity.

The truth is? All of that doesn’t have to be as hard as some people make it. And we really can put more FUN and balance into people’s lives.  That’s usually where I come in.  To deliver real-world strategies and ideas that REALLY work – at the office – at home – in relationships – the WORKS. And believe it or not? It all starts with ATTENTION. The incredibly focused kind that creates connections and change – and I’d love to share it all with you and your team.

I invite you to download the following with my compliments:

• My Attention Pays^TM White Paper: Filled with insights on how and why our increasingly lack of focused attention has literally cost businesses $558 BILLION dollars a year. Better still, it shares the strategies and ideas your team needs to turn that around and fuel out-of-this-world productivity and profitability.
• The Ten Tips to Help Leaders Pay More Attention to Their Teams: This is particularly powerful as it shares the tools and tips leaders need to not only lead by example, but create a culture where entire teams shift from inattention to ATTENTION – and how that shift can elevate an entire organization.
• My Most Requested Topics for HR Professionals: I love working with HR pros to bring best-in-the-business strategies to their teams and organizations. I put humor and fun together with the kind of serious tools it takes to help team prosper in entirely new ways and I’d love to do the same for your group.  Take a look through, and know that I customize each keynote to deliver the exact perfect message for your audience.

Ready for a powerhouse shift in your business?  Give me a shout or shoot me a message today to find out how I can create crystal-clear focus for your next audience and help you put a plan in place for the positive change that will send your results soaring!  G’Day!

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20 TED Talks Worth Your Attention

If you have limited time and want maximum learning, consider watching TED talks. Listed below are some of the TED talks that really got my attention, some are listed in the top 20 TED talks, and some are not.

 

Enjoy them all and share them with your teams to help boost their skills and focus on what really matters.

Work Life Balance:

Dan Thurmon

http://ift.tt/2fxcNu4

 

Communication

Body Language:

Amy Cuddy

http://ift.tt/1gAcnf2

 

The Power of Introverts

Susan Cain – Quiet TED talk http://ift.tt/AlhvbL

 

Storytelling

WARNING this one has a curse word and crude joke in the first 30 seconds of the video so you may not want to watch this one? The rest of it is brilliant!

Andrew Stanton http://ift.tt/z05vHx

 

The Power of Vulnerability

BreneBrown http://ift.tt/tDA5hJ

 

Creativity: Your Elusive Creative Genius

Elizabeth Gilbert http://ift.tt/1pO1OuV

 

Let’s Use Video to Reinvent Education

Salman Khan http://ift.tt/1yXiGA9

 

Leadership

Simon Sinek – How great leaders inspire action http://ift.tt/1IW4oGt

 

Motivation

Dan Pink – The puzzle of motivation

http://ift.tt/1rdDjEe

 

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5 Questions With An Inspiring Woman

Tiph is one of my secret weapons and you may have heard me talk about her in one of our keynotes.

She is the epitome of someone who pays attention to what matters. She is my stylist at Nordstrom and I adore her.

The way she looks after me and her book of clients is mind blowing. She has made my life so much easier and so productive. As you all know, Megan Kristel is someone I deeply admire, go to for advice, and she and Tiph are responsible for everything I buy and wear… and also how I feel in my clothes.

 

Tiph has great tips for anyone wanting to pay more attention to their team, to their clients or the people you share your life with. Enjoy this repost from Megan Kristel’s Well Dressed Life blog posted Oct 25th  2016.

If you have read this blog for any length of time, you have heard me talk about Tifphanie Lawson.  I met Tifph almost ten years ago the first time I took a client to Nordstrom for a shopping appointment.  A few hours before the client arrived, I was aimlessly wandering around the floor, worried, overwhelmed and out of my mind with nerves. Suddenly, a bubbly, smiley young woman approached me, and said, “You look like you need some help!” At that moment, relief washed over me, and Tifph became my long time Nordstrom stylist and a good friend.

Tifph provides us access to the private dressing rooms, the ability to pull from any department, so we don’t have to waste time running back and forth and fantastic customer service. She’s down to earth, kind, funny, and always willing to go the extra mile. She’s also a busy working mom of FIVE. That’s FIVE children.

So, I couldn’t think of a better person to feature during Working Mom Week.  Over the years I’ve watched her navigate the crazy life of work and motherhood. Despite everything she’s had thrown at her, she is endlessly positive and inspiring. You’ll see in our conversation below why I am so fond of her, trust her totally with our clients, and leave our appointments happier than I started.
Megan: Through our work with clients, I’ve learned that women have more in common than not. Like no matter how different we are, we can always find a way to bond. In your experience, what have you learned about women when you’re standing in a dressing room with them, often when they are their most vulnerable?

Tifph:  There’s a moment when you can feel an insecurity from almost any client. And it’s familiar because we’ve all felt it. I know I feel it in one way or another, whenever I try on clothes in front of those awful mirrors.  And I acknowledge it. It may not be the dress, but it’s the bumps or the thighs she’s feeling, and I use it as an opportunity to address who we are as women, connect, and lighten the moment up. I’ll share my insecurities, so they know we are in this together. Like when they feel their butt is too big for an item, I turn around and laugh! I have a huge mama butt, but it’s okay, because apparently, my husband likes it, even when I can’t get into my pants!

As a stylist, it’s my job to put you in the pieces that will look best on YOU, and we have to trust one another and be honest and communicative about all of it.

One of the things I admire most about you is that you are ALWAYS positive and present. In the ten years, we have worked together; I don’t remember a single day when I thought you didn’t bring your “A” game. To me, that’s become part of your brand. Even on days when I didn’t have my A-game, you always show up at your best. It seems like you have a unique perspective on life. Would you share that with us?

Awww MEG! Thank you!!! I’ll be honest, I go through things, and emotions, and phone calls from my kids’ school so often, like anyone else. But the truth is, I love my job. I love life. I love being around people who want my expertise, and I love fashion and wardrobing. There’s nothing, not happy about it! I learned who I was a long time ago, and I’m very comfortable in my work and home life. I’m always like “the mama bear.” People rely on me, come to me for advice, and I love being there for them and trusted. I don’t like to let anyone down especially myself. And I always try to focus on the positive, which you can find in anything. Happiness doesn’t have to be anything physical, or phenomenal; it can be the music you listen to on your way to work; the breakfast you took the time to prepare, or the words of inspiration I text my kids every morning when they’re on their way to school. The fact that I have a home, healthy children, and a hard working husband to wake up to, even if I wanted to fuss… means the most. So why not be great to everyone?!

With five kids, a husband who travels for work and a full roster of clients you know busy. What’s been your biggest challenge when it comes to finding “balance” and what have you done to get around it?

I had to learn the hard way to slow down. Four years ago, I threw my daughter a skating party for her eighth birthday, and 15 minutes into the party, I fell in my skates and broke my ankle in two places. Me, a woman who has not been off her feet for most of her life. I was devastated. I immediately began to worry about all of my upcoming appointments, my paycheck, and how the laundry would get done. I couldn’t even drive.

This happening was a game changer. After a few days straight of crying and being miserable I learned I needed to have surgery and screws put into my ankle forever. At that moment I knew there was nothing I could do to change the situation. So, I decided to see what happened if I accepted it. What would happen if I utilized all the amazing people around me and shared some of my life/load with them… and you know what? It worked out.

My leave was paid, and when you’re not driving 50miles a day, eating lunch out, and buying coffee 2-3x a day, the money was almost the same. My husband learned to do laundry! Can you believe that?! I had him take pictures of the washer and dryer on each setting as I returned home from surgery to make sure it was right. But he did it! My girls learned to get along better, and to help one another like never before. Who wants a hurt, healing, fussy mom? It started a tradition of us gathering together and just talking & eating. That was amazing, not being so uptight, pressed for time, and structured.

When I did return to work, we found out we were pregnant with my 4th and first son, so I cut one day of work from my five day week and left it like that. Now my cooking, laundering husband continues to help out. And when he’s gone, my mom fills in. My girls became little mothers of the home. It’s adorable. My painful, 3-month life lesson was to SLOW DOWN! I am way more productive, thoughtful and involved in the things I do. Everything is just feels more personalized. I won’t overwhelm myself with a crazy schedule or to-do list. Life will get crazy and happen all on its own, so I don’t have to serve myself more than I know I can handle without breaking down or feeling guilty. Those who love you and want you to be there for them, won’t ask you.

To me, you exemplify the gold standard of customer service. I noticed it the very first day we worked together, almost a decade ago! Can you share some of the little things you do/ have done for clients that make the biggest impact, for them and your business?

Customer service is huge in any business, this one especially. Aside from my background in fashion and product knowledge, my customer service skills are why my clients come back to me. Most have been loyal to me for 5-10 years. I make it a point to follow through and follow up. My business is not just about the clothing, but the ability to connect with people and be their liaison for all of their needs and dealings with the company I represent. It never ends after the appointment. You’ll get an email, alterations, invites, pictures of items that make me think about you, and even advice about what to travel with or wear for any special occasions. It’s like we’re dating! There are no one night stands with a great stylist.

My clients take time out of their busy lives to see me, trust me, and listen to me, so the fact that I go the extra mile, tracking packages and alterations, is one of my ways of saying thank you. You’re appreciated. Everyone works hard for their money, and they deserve to be treated as such, especially when you can spend it anywhere. I am about quality service, not quantity and it pays off.

Because I have to end asking something about fashion, what are your top 5 must-have pieces that every woman should have in her closet:

Oh yes, the fun stuff, haha!

Every woman should have a pair of dark skinny jeans. Year round. You can wear them all year with 70% of the tops in your closet. Personally, I love the DL1961 EMMA, mid rise it’s one of the softest premium denim lines on the market.

You should have a black blazer. A cotton knit or merino wool, it should be year round, and ready to complete any outfit for a smart look. I like it especially with jeans, or a fun tweed or print pant. It will give you some edge and make you look well put together. I love the Mural $74 blazer at Nordstrom.

A cross body bag is imperative. Smaller sized for traveling, running errands, or fun nights out. I love mine because I have to run around the store all day, and I can stay connected to the things I need most in a day- my cards, lipstick, cell phone, and hand sanitizer. It never weighs me down; it jazzes up my ensemble. When in doubt, Rebecca Minkoff works with everything.

A comfy tunic for your leggings and skinny jeans. It’s a look that is not going away and works in any weather, no matter how you feel, even if you have gained a pound or two.

Oh, and a  lightweight leather jacket. It’s how you celebrate fall! It’s the most versatile piece you’ll wear with anything, anywhere. Pick your price point, from a $98 faux leather, up to $398 lambskin, either gives the same chic, updated, hip vibe!

Tifphanie Lawson is a personal stylist for Nordstrom in the King of Prussia Mall.  To set up an appointment with her directly, send her an email at Tifphanie.Hill@nordstrom.com. 

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20 Strategies to Create Attentive Relationships

Do you want more fabulous, effective and attentive relationships with clients, friends,  your partner and your community?

Here are 20 strategies to implement. Choose two and execute them today!

1. Turn off the TV and give someone your undivided attention.
2. Call a friend you haven’t spoken to for a while and surprise them.
3. Leverage Hootsuite to share shout outs on social media.
4. Post a message on a friend’s wall FaceBook (find an old high school friend while you are there).
5. Write a testimonial for someone on LinkedIn to praise someone you enjoy working with.
6. Purchase note cards and randomly send a thank you note.
7. Celebrate other’s success by leaving a voicemail and posting on their Facebook wall.
8. Plan a vacation (or even a long weekend) with someone you love.
9. Post photos to share great memories on Instagram.
10. Make calls (hands free of course) while driving.
11. Carry stamped stationery with you so you can write a quick note.
12. Strengthen listening skills by ‘listening with your eyes’ (that’s what my special friend Donovan tells me)
13. Leverage time zones if you have international friends and set up video dates.
14. Use Skype or Zoom so you can see people you care about (and people don’t multi-task while you can see them)
15. Set up phone dates with people you care about and clients you haven’t seen for a while.
16. Book virtual lunches – I do these with my friend Scott Ginsberg and love it!
17. Eliminate distractions from conversations – remove any distractions i.e. cell, tv, videos and focus on one person.
18. Host an annual event i.e. we have an annual Australia Day party in our home in January and it is so much fun!
19. Create weekly check in calls with people you care about.
20. Collect business cards when you enjoy connecting with someone and follow up and stay in touch.

 

Bonus:  Have a face to face, real, eye to eye, belly button to belly button conversation.

People want to be seen and they want to be heard. Are you seeing people? Do they feel heard by you? These simple ideas will help you feel more connected and pay attention to what matters today.

What are your favorite ways to connect and improve relationships? Share your ideas with us here.

 

 

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Leading Companies Thriving in Open Plan Environments

Some of my favorite clients operate productively in open plan environments. When they were making the adjustments I was able to share strategies so they can Fold Time™, achieve twice as much in half the time.

 

Open plan spaces can a big adjustment for team members who may struggle if they have always worked in an office.

Offices used to symbolize status – now everyone is considered equal in an open environment workspace design.

 

Companies leading the open workspace movement include Viacom, Facebook, Cisco, Microsoft, eBay and Google.

Check out ideas on three strategies to be more productive in an open plan here.

 

If you aren’t sure if Open Plan is for you – check out the pros and cons in this article: http://ift.tt/292GLRv

 

Facebook has embraced open plan and created ‘frictionless working’

http://ift.tt/1IBiquY

 

SUCCESS Partners the magazine SUCCESS and its parent company SUCCESS Partners Sources have created this environment with a clear understanding of people’s workstyle: http://ift.tt/2dIJuQC

 

Cisco Systems calls them connected workplaces and believe it maximizes flexibility, choice and collaboration. :http://ift.tt/2eb7j77

 

CBRE and Microsoft share the positives and negatives of this unique set up and also outlines how some offices are allocating space specifically for millennials:http://ift.tt/2dIJRdO

 

Google has made it work using a variety of workspaces to encourage creativity and collaboration and also allow people to focus:http://ift.tt/2eb8tPZ

 

eBay has focused on design to increase productivity and combined that with a mobility program to allow people to work remotely:http://ift.tt/2dIGWlJ

 

Need more ideas on how to be more productive in an open plan – check out these ideas.

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Pay ATTENTION to Your Words – They Can Change Your World

The words we choose to speak – either to the world or to ourselves have the absolute power create impact, connections, positive or negative change and action.  When we lose FOCUS and our attention gets drawn away from what we know will move us in the direction we want to go – our words or language often follows suit. To help you stay the course, let’s create a productive language palette.

Just as an artist uses a paint palette to choose from a spectrum of colors, the words we choose become our medium to create color, texture, and depth in our communication with the people around us.  Those words can be help or hinder. Move us forward or hold us back. To keep you “in the light” – let’s look at ways a productive language palette can improve your world.

 

Create impact: In the famous speech Acres of Diamonds, delivered over 5,000 times by Russell Herman Conwell, a tremendous orator and the founder and president of Temple University in Philadelphia, shares that the resources to achieve all things are all around us.  One of my favorite lines from the speech is ‘greatness consists not in the holding of some future office, but really consists in doing great deeds with little means and the accomplishment of vast purposes from the private ranks of life. To be great at all, one must be great here, now. If you wish to be great at all, you must begin where you are, now.’  He compels you with his words to begin your greatness right here, and right now – and an incredible place to start is with your words.

 

Choose positive language – words that lift, empower, ignite passion, present purpose and lighten the way for those around you.  Look people in the eye when you speak to them and listen to their responses. Put your phone down and be fully present in those moments and watch how much more productive and compelling they can be.  Please pay attention and be selective in your own internal dialogues as well.  Too many times people who share extraordinarily kind words with others are their own worst critic. They lift others but not themselves.  Let your positivity extend to your own self-talk as well.  It’s a difference maker, I promise you.

 

Create connections: Words cost us nothing and mean everything.  Before you speak, think about the words and impact they will make on the people you are with. I love the Rumi quote that shares, “Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates:

At the first gate, ask yourself, Is it true?  At the second gate ask, Is it necessary? At the third gate ask, Is it kind?”  It’s not always easy to slow our pace of speaking and listening down enough to pay attention to those all too important gates, but life, career, and relationships most certainly shift when we do. Take the opportunity to slow down, connect and show care and compassion instead of trying to quickly share your response, or be so caught up in your next sentence you’ve missed what was being said. Fully listen, connect and engage – and your relationships will expand and flourish because of that.

 

Create action: Choose action-orie

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10 Tips to Handling Difficult Customers

What YOU Could Be Paying ATTENTION To Starting Now

It’s often a chaotic world we live in – attention spans are low and expectations are high. That makes for a perfect storm for difficult customers. The good news is that there are ways to keep your cool, turn customer experiences around, and even come out looking like a hero.  Let’s take a look at eight of those ways!

 

 

1. Don’t take it personally. Most of the time when a customer complains it’s because they are unhappy with the product, or company – not you as an individual. It could be NOTHING at all to even do with the experience. Maybe they stubbed their toe? Spilled their coffee?  Woke up late.  Stop before REACTING to another person’s emotions and think – is it me? If not, let that emotion GO.

 

2. Give yourself credit.  Remember all those mad skills you possess? The kind way you handle customer requests? The serious mojo you have when it comes to hitting your goals? Keep all of those things in mind when someone turns surly and never let anyone else make you feel less than you are.

 

3. Write it down. Want to make an impression? Write down the complaint. That shows the customer that you are listening and genuinely interested in resolving their issue.  If you’re on the phone, let them know that you are writing things down in detail.  People want to be heard and documenting a problem is a good way to illustrate your listening skills.

 

4. Get a supervisor in on the action. Got a REALLY tough customer on your hands and things feel like they are escalating?  Invite a supervisor to join you and the customer will notice you are treating them as important by seeking additional help.

 

5. Debrief with a trusted person when you’re done. When the customer leaves, it may be a good time to talk over the encounter with someone you trust in order to release the frustration, let go of any negativity and learn what can be done in the future should it happen again.

 

6. Master stress management.  There are so many amazing techniques you can learn to manage stress and stay the voice of reason regardless of raised voices or irrational customer behavior.  By learning to breath deeply, focus on the positives and also ensure your body doesn’t carry stress, you will be able to handle whatever (or whoever) the world sends your way.

 

7. Chalk it up. Here’s the thing: working with the public? There are going to be THOSE moments or sometimes even days where someone is gunning for you just because they can. Chalk it up to human nature, let it roll right off you and move on.

 

8. Look for the lesson.  Sometimes there’s a reason for the temperment, right? Maybe a system or process is off. A complaint can be a queue to take a look at what may need to be changed. Analyze the situation and see what can be done differently in the future for a better response.

 

9. Don’t lash out.  It’s easy in the heat of the moment to lash out to anyone who will listen if you’ve been mistreated by a customer (or anyone for that matter). Use caution. Breathe. Think before you speak to others so that you’re not taking your bad experience and transferring it to everyone in your wake.

 

10. Remember the big picture. Truth is, without customers, a company goes out of business.  Even when they are less than fun to work with – they feed the revenue stream that keeps the doors open and the checks signed. Give people the benefit of the doubt that they don’t MEAN to be challenging, and treat them with respect and understanding like the mature and successful professional that you know yourself to be.

 

The nice thing to keep in mind if you’re in the people business (and most of us are) – is that whatever the grievance, pressure, irritation, aggravation – any of it might be? It will done and gone before you know it. A blip on the screen. Handle it in the moment then move on to the next.  Who knows? The next one on the phone or in front of you might be the coolest customer ever!

 

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How to Achieve Your Goals and Finish Strong

Watch video on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/6SiaC4BoJ_M
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How to Achieve Your Goals and Finish Strong

Watch video on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/6SiaC4BoJ_M
via CHANNEL TITLE

Finish Strong! The IMPORTANCE of Paying Attention to Yourself!

Did you blink?  If you’re like most of us, it may feel that way.  How it got to be the fourth quarter with the bulk of the year behind us already (again) is mind boggling – right?  And your planning for next year’s events is in full swing! Remember all those promises and resolutions made WAY back in the beginning of the year?  Yeah. About those.  It’s time to check in. Where are you?  On track? Off track? Trying to find your running shoes?  I get you.

 

Finishing STRONG is a passion of mine. It’s my personal mantra. It’s even the name of one of my Pinterest boards! (Go figure!) It’s about digging in and making the most of every minute now isn’t it?  Not boo-hoo-ing over what’s NOT done or NOT in your control but celebrating where you are and what you can seriously get done with the time left in the year when you’re FOCUSED on what’s in front of you.

 

There it is.  As a leadership expert and keynote speaker, this is the time of year when corporate event clients are asking me to include some real-world, really actionable ways to help their team members to FINISH STRONG. Sure, they usually mean to help folks re-focus on financial targets and activities that will help people achieve their goals, which is great, and I certainly do.  But for today’s exercise? Let’s do this. Let’s talk about FINISHING STRONG personally as well.  What does THAT look like to you?

 

To me? That’s celebrating physical and mental strength. The kind that excites you to hop out of bed every morning and stay at it. (Even when holiday party invites are flooding in or you’re questioning the decision to try the egg nog.)

 

If you are like me and want to absolutely grab the most from this quarter then tap into these three power strategies to help you feel ah-mazing and focus your attention on what really matters to you:

 

Invest 15 minutes:  I know; I ALWAYS say that.  Why?  Because it WORKS. Each day, invest 15 minutes in YOURSELF.  What that looks like is up to you. Meditation for mental strength. Or a walk after dinner with a loved one for a great exercise/connection combo. 10-minute quick calls with a mentor or team member with a 5 minute “download” to stay close to the goals.  The practice is personal to you, just make sure you are putting YOU on the to-do list every day for 15 minutes. It’s a smart investment for a healthier, happier, more successful you, I promise.

 

Love the way you MOVE:  Exercise.  Ugh-right? I admit, it used to be at the BOTTOM of my list too (and I know some of you out there are thinking – hey – SWEATER weather!) Here’s the trick though: find something you LOVE. Don’t roll your eyes. There is always SOMETHING. For me? I discovered running a few years ago and I’m HOOKED. Then? I caught wind of Barre3 and became addicted. I don’t mind insanely early morning classes or long weekend runs because it’s something I love to do. Find what you love to do that will get your body moving.

 

Make it happen.  Right there. In the calendar. You know the one, with the doctor’s appointments and client meetings and super-important can’t miss stuff?  Put your time down as a solid must-do because the truth is? If you don’t make an appointment with yourself, you are likely to cancel. Need accountability? Hire a coach. I have a running coach and I meet him twice a week. It gets me out of bed in the dark and when I completed in my workout I have no regrets. Look at it this way… YOU are the only YOU that you’ve got. That your family has. Your partner has. Your business has.  Want to lead a long, full, happy and successful life? Don’t neglect the one person you’re going to spend every moment with:  YOU. Prioritize yourself.

 

That’s it. Three little things.  They might not seem so little initially. They might feel a little out of your comfort level. And honestly? They might feel a little selfish. Let’s clear that up. Self-care? Self-focus?  Self-prioritizing?  Is smart business. It’s the key to being a better parent, planner, partner and person.  When we take care of ourselves we’re better equipped to take care of the rest of our worlds. So what do you say? Ready to FINISH STRONG?

 

Want more ideas on how to finish the last quarter strong, you might like this video and blog:

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The Business of Speaking for Women, Business Models for Speakers

Michael Port has one of my all-time fave podcasts called Steal the Show – his book by the same name is awesome (click here for our book review), even though this podcast focuses on the business of speaking and has many tips for women in business – I hope you find value in it too, regardless of the industry you are in.

 

It’s no secret I love podcasts. I listen to them when I get ready in the morning and also driving in my car. Michael Port is a legendary speaker, New York Times Best Selling Author, creator of Heroic Public Speaking and a great guy. Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed on his latest project, Steal the Show Podcast. So much fun!

Check out this interview where he asks about being a female speaker and I share strategies to stay connected to your clients, leverage your uniqueness and have fun doing what you love, with people you love in places you love!

Tips on how to price your speaking fee; and how to use social media for your business. Neen James and I also discuss the rewards and the challenges of being a woman professional speaker.

Neen is a published author of eight books, including “Folding Time.” Her latest book, “Attention Pays: Creating Moments That Matter,” is all about focusing on what’s important in our lives so we can create those moments that matter.

In this episode we discussed:

• When and how to address “the elephant” in the room. (3:27)
• Finding the balance between building relationships and nurturing financial goals. (10:50)
• How to determine the right price for your speaking fees. (20:29)
• How to make the most of your uniqueness as a woman speaker. (24:19)
• The best ways to use different social media platforms for your business. (27:41)
• Why you should stay in contact with your clients through “systemized thoughtfulness.” (38:31)
• Neen James explains how she got started in the business speaking industry. (56:17)

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Attention is a Drug. Are You Addicted?

“Attention is a drug,” said my brilliant friend.  His profound insight literally STOPPING our conversation. He was right.  (He usually is.) It IS a drug, and people are ADDICTED.

 

It started when discussing what feels like a landslide of over-sharing on Facebook. Every intimate, sometimes tragic, often graphic detail of people’s lives are being spilled out onto browsers and into minds of friends and not-so-friends all over the world. Why?  Attention can be like cocaine. People get manic for a hit of likes, comments, shares and messages. And that? Needs to change.

 

The truth? All humans require attention. But here’s the deal: It’s not a character flaw to crave attention; our brains are wired that way. Babies cry out for food and safety and so begins the ultimate early lessons of cause and effect. It’s only when that need for attention careens dangerously over the edge that people begin to see it as a problem.

 

Psychology Today states “extreme attention seekers go to unhealthy lengths driven by emotional desperation”. Is that it? Is that why people are pouring themselves out on social media or worse? Upending relationships or spiraling into food, alcohol or drugs?  As leaders we have a responsibility to manage our attention to create significance.

 

As a keynote speaker for corporate audiences and associations around the globe, I am often asked to share leadership strategies on how to accelerate productivity, increase sales or drive client experiences. My tip? It comes down to ATTENTION. Teams want to be seen and heard, and families want to feel valued.

 

In my keynotes we prescribe the following for this attention addiction:

 

See People.  We all want and need to be heard.  My 5-year-old friend Donovan reminded me of this when he grabbed my cheeks in both little hands and demanded, “Neen, listen with your eyes!” How’s that for insight? Are you SEEING people in your life?  Does your team get your complete attention when they walk into your office or do you stay disengaged? Does your family get your undivided attention when you get home or are you checking today’s Facebook posts? Bottom line? If the people we care about don’t feel seen, they’ll seek attention somewhere else. Seek out a true friend who will be honest with you. My best friend and I always say, “she’s my person”. It means we see and hear each other deeply, at our best, and at our worst. It’s an understanding, truth and commitment. Who is your person?

 

Stop the Drama.  I am allergic to drama. I don’t engage in it or tolerate it. The running joke? Is how BORING my life is compared to those online. It’s also healthier.  Make your life, work and home – a no drama zone. It’s a powerful way to better see and hear the people that matter the most to you.

 

Create significant moments.  Every day explore ways to help people feel that they matter. A handwritten note. A smile for a stranger. Compliment your barista. Thank your security guard. Shout out to a team member on email or thank a client with a gift. Personal attention gets results. Look for ways to help people feel significant.  Who needs reminding they matter to you?

 

My friend Jon Petz, keynote speaker and author of the book Significance in Simple Moments shares, “People have a false sense of social significance when living their lives online.” We discussed some people’s personalities crave the recognition from others as they don’t get it at home or from their relationships with people they love, so they seek it from strangers online.

 

I’ve been guilty of over-sharing online. Posting a picture of a meal on Instagram, texting a friend for a late night conversation when traveling, feeling lonely at the airport, and re-tweeting online compliments. Not my proudest moments, but human ones. Let’s all just make to look at those attention cravings and ensure we haven’t crossed that addictive line.

 

Today, be ah-amazing. Use your ATTENTION for good. Like making a connection with the people around you.  When you do?  Attention pays you back – in the best possible ways.

The post Attention is a Drug. Are You Addicted? appeared first on Neen James.

10 Things to Make Travel Super Productive

Many of us travel for work and I thought you might enjoy this article published in MeetingsNet magazine on ways to be super-productive when you travel! Enjoy.

When you tell people that you travel the globe organizing, planning, and facilitating events for your super-cool clients, do they say, “Wow, that sounds so glamorous”? Little do they know just how much work that entails—not to mention airport delays, weather, confusing airport hubs, mechanical breakdowns, crying babies…

As a productivity and attention expert, I am constantly on the road like you—it’s just part of our chosen professions. And it can be hard to get everything done that needs doing.

Here are 10 strategies to help you be more productive before you hop aboard your next plane:

1. Buy the tools and the apps—you need music, noise-cancelling headphones (expensive I know, but worth it), and your smart phone. Load your phone with apps to make your travel life easier: Pzizz (one of my fave power-napping apps), Evernote,Expedia, Gate Guru, Seat Guru … the list is endless. What is your fave app for traveling? Please share it in the comments below.

2. Create a travel outfit—put together an outfit that you can easily wear through security without totally getting undressed! Try slip-on shoes, minimum jewelry, and fabulous non-creasing fabric.

This video will provide you more tips for traveling and answer the following questions: 

• How not to fall behind on work and clients while on the road traveling?
• What are the best apps and systems to use to manage the details of the trip?
• What’s the best, most durable luggage for frequent travelers?

3. Pre-pack Ziploc bags to include travel-sized everything! You just know that the day you try to sneak through a larger size is going to be the day TSA decides to check your bag.

4. Create a survival kit—Stow the things you know you’ll need in your carry on. I always include earphones, lip balm, an eye mask (for longer flights), pen, eye drops, travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste, a pashmina throw (in case it’s chilly), and breath mints (yes, please do everyone a favor and use mints!).

5. Get a Platinum Amex card—yes, it’s expensive, but, because it often gives you access to U.S. airline lounges, it’s cheaper than joining all the airline clubs. Their Centurion Lounge access is so worth it, and they are opening more around the U.S.

6. Create fun out-of-office messages—manage the email and voicemail expectations of those who want your attention. Make it a fun message that you can share with clients about what you are doing and when you will return. Think about how you can surprise and delight your callers with your out-of-office message.

7. Plan to work one way—I use the trip away for the client and the trip home for myself. So I might work on a presentation or read notes on the way over, but on the trip home I often have a little nap or read for pleasure. Can you divide up your trip?

8. Allow an extra 30 minutes—add a half-hour to the amount of time you think it will take you to get to the airport or station. It will save you a stressful race to the gate if you find yourself stuck in traffic or the security line is longer than you expected. You may not need it, but you can always use it for something else!

9. Bring a list of clients to call—airport down time is a brilliant time to catch up on your business development activities, so always carry a list of people you can call. Even though it’s noisy, it’s a great way to make travel time more productive. Make the most of those extra minutes.

10. Bring thank-you note materials—carry stamped stationery with you (yes that’s right, the old-fashioned kind), and use some of your travel down time to write thank-you notes. No one send notes anymore, so this is a great way to stand out in a digital communication world—you’ll be the exception whose personal touch will get attention!

Bonus tip: If you want to be even more productive when you get to your destination … go to the bar! I know that sounds crazy, but if you are an extrovert you might work better around people and noise.

How do you make your travel time more productive?

 

This article was first published on meetingsnet.com and be found here.

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How to Have a Productive Fourth Quarter

Watch video on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/KG7Bp9L5CAA
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Attention Goal Setters: How to Have an Extraordinary Fourth Quarter

Fourth quarter? What happened? We blinked. That’s it.  Summer’s in the wind, and autumn is in already heading into full swing.  Calendars are changing. Plans are being made. And eyes are on the end of the year prize. Did you do what you wanted to do?  Did you reach milestones? Or do you still have miles to go?

It’s about that time.  Leaders are in full scale acceleration mode to pull out the stops and screech into the new year with kudos all around.  I’ve got you covered to help make it AH-Mazing – with a side order of fun.

 

First, do yourself and your team a favor:  Watch this (old) interview with the fabulous News at Sunrise Anchor Eve Tannery where we shared strategies on her show. It’s on the money.

 

Second, take a few minutes to watch my video on the 10 ways you can make the most of the remainder of the year.

 

This video will help answer:

• How do I make my Fourth quarter the most productive of the year?

• How can I reach my annual goals with only a few months left?

• How do I keep my team focused during Fourth quarter?

 

Lastly, implement these steps to ensure absolute focus and attention is paid to those goals and priorities you wish to accomplish throughout the remainder of the year.

 

1. Monday Makeover: Give yourself a 15-minute head start on this week’s activities, so your I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed and you’re absolutely ready for anything. Meetings?  Totally cool.  Performance reviews? You’ve got this. Appointments?  Locked and focused.  Deadlines and deliverables?  You’re a master.  Next take a glance at the month ahead and prioritize your pipeline.  Might it take more than 15 minutes? Maybe. Once this is a habit?  You’ll breeze through with ease.

 

2. Money talks: Here’s to conquering the Achilles’s heel of many business professionals. Watch those financial targets and keep them in your sites to remind yourself weekly of the last quarter results that are your responsibility. Mine are printed above my desk and on my phone for daily accountability!

 

3. Gaps & Goals: Now’s the perfect time to rock a gap analysis of where you are vs. where your GOALS said you’d be at this time. Deep dive to see and understand what’s necessary to bridge that gap if your revenue, productivity, prospecting or sales aren’t where you want or need them to be.  THAT will become the foundation of your plan of action for the next three months.

 

4. Hustle & Grit. Ever hear that saying, “No grit—no pearl?” Now’s the time to hunker in and fire up your internal urgency to close deals, follow up on proposals, add value to clients and make hit the phones and connect with that client base.  Watch goals daily, weekly and monthly and monitor them like your business depends on it.  Because it does.

 

5. Less is MORE.  Meetings are necessary, check! But time? Is of the absolute essence. So pare down. Make sure they are time-efficient team meetings that are NO longer than 20-40 minutes, tops, with agendas and clear objectives.

 

The post Attention Goal Setters: How to Have an Extraordinary Fourth Quarter appeared first on Neen James.

How to Have a Productive Fourth Quarter

Watch video on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/KG7Bp9L5CAA
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